The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston's position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland. With two months to devise a better plan, Julia's first choice - to marry her childhood sweetheart - is denied. Then, a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, opening a realm of possibilities.

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Publisher's Summary

She never imagined securing her future would require delving into the past. The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston's position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland.

With two months to devise a better plan, Julia's first choice - to marry her childhood sweetheart - is denied. Then, a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, opening a realm of possibilities. Treachery and deception are as much a part of Victorian society as titles and decorum, however, and Julia quickly discovers her present is deeply entangled with her mother's mysterious past.

Before she knows what's happening, Julia finds herself a pawn in a deadly game between two of the country's most powerful men. With no laws to protect her, she must unravel the secrets on her own. But sometimes truth is elusive and knowledge is deadly.

I don't care for first person POV stories. But the heroine was sympathetic and the narrator was stellar. I read a one star review on Amazon and almost requested a refund/return on this story. Many of her comments were legitimate but many were not. The heroine is an atheist in a Christian Book Association (Tyndale) book. The actual Christian thread is thin BUT this is part of a series. Which causes yet another problem because this is a long convoluted story with an ending that doesn't tie up the strings to all those threads. But it isn't a cliffhanger per se, there is a somewhat HEA to the book, which is why I gave it a 4. I wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt that she has what "appears" to be the main love interest be a truly evil man. And I think only the most naive of readers will not realize that. Which makes those love scenes with him all the more creepy. And leaves me wondering why are they so prominent in this story? Doubt that I will buy the sequel. I will make up my own ending in my own mind for this story lol! I cannot spend that kind of time with a book these days--I need all the story parts wrapped up within one volume, not in a continuation. Still, Ms. Dotta creates a compelling story that had me listening to the end.

I finally gave up on this with three hours left. The characters were unlikable, the story was uninteresting and confusing, but the narration was decent. This made me uncomfortable but I kept on hoping for it to get better. It was confusing and I found myself rewinding to listen to parts again.

I rarely stop reading a book but there are so many good ones out there and life is too short to waste it on unpleasant books.

I'd ask for a refund but I've listened to most of it so that's not fair. I will not listen to the sequels.

This book was surprisingly suspenseful, full of unexpected twists and turns. I didn't know which way I wanted the story to go, but loved every juicy minute of it. I also loved the fact that it had an air of being sweet and sensual without being raunchy at the same time.

If you could sum up Born of Persuasion in three words, what would they be?

What ending? Where?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chance.... I enjoyed not being able to figure him out. There was so much more than we were able to see. Being a central character I found that aggravating! I wanted to know more about HIM!

What does Amanda McKnight bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She did a wonderful job. Not quite excellent only because she occasionally let the characters individual voices blend. It was trivial and did not detract from the story since the instant knowledge of who was engaged at that point filled the gap. The age of a few voices seemed off but I dealt with it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes... tear up but not tears falling. Giggle not laugh. Hold my breath a lot! It's rare I speak aloud TO the book while listening but a few astonishing comments exploded forth. ..(delightfully irritating my husband! ;-) )My greatest reaction was in having a easy enjoyable listen with hours and hours invested in it only to NOT be fulfilled at all. Dinner without dessert... foreplay with any satisfaction. .. a soapy body in hot water with only a half a cup of icy rinse water. ... kinda like that!Don't get me wrong ... l really enjoyed the book and do not regret the listen , I am just still irritated with the end ... kind of like a pouty child!

Any additional comments?

Its a yep for credit worthy.... but only if being rushed to bring one storyline to a close and very very very quickly making a reason for another book (I was angry!) all while not even coming close to solving the most intriguing story lines. I actually don't know if I want to buy the next one... I would anticipate a lousy non resolved lack of ending..... But an enjoyable ride there...

Which character – as performed by Amanda McKnight – was your favorite?

Julia Elliston'

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Julia finds out the truth and still can't admit it to anyone.

Any additional comments?

This novel was very well narrated by Amanda McKnight and written by the author. I truly enjoyed an visualized the events and characters. I can not wait to read her second novel and I hope it is also narrated by Amanda McKnight.

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